1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of wearing apparel. More particularly, this invention relates to the field of shirts, particularly pull-over shirts such as T-shirts, and a novel modification thereto for permitting the shirt to be converted to a usable headdress.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pull-over shirts are generally of the type having front and rear torso-covering panels joined together along their respective sides and top, a pair of sleeves attached at seams to the panels near the shoulder area and a collar band secured about a head opening so that one putting on the shirt pulls it over their head and extends their arms through the respective sleeves and the torso-covering panels are then pulled down over the torso. Where the shirt has short sleeves, it is generally known as a "T-shirt".
It is a fact that many people wear these pull-over shirts, including T-shirts, when they are outdoors. There are numerous instances where, when a person starts to wear a T-shirt, either the heat of the day or the energy expended by the individual in playing or working makes such wearing of the shirt uncomfortable, but at the same time the heat of the sun makes it desirable to have a headdress of sorts to shade one from the effects of the sunlight. Heretofore, there has been little in the way of means for removing one's shirt and using it as a headdress.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,258 concerns such a pull-over shirt wherein a semi-stiff bill is placed inside the shirt at the rear of the neck opening that can later be used as a bill in front and above the eyes serving as an eye shade when the shirt is used as an open headdress and worn over the head. However, such utilization has not been widely achieved primarily because the sleeves, either long or short, are necessarily draped down over the sides of the head and pose annoying dangling material to interrupt the person's peripheral vision and sometimes, when the head is twisted quickly in looking from side to side, the sleeves bang against the face in an uncomfortable manner. Further, the placement of the sun visor requires the collar band to be placed low on the head thus exposing the top of the head to the sun. Where the shirt has long sleeves, they may be tied in a knot behind the head; however, where the shirt is built along the lines of the popular short sleeve T-shirt, such tying of the arms is not possible. Moreover, tying sleeves of the shirt together places unnecessary stress on the fibers making up the threads and can damage the lay of the shirt and thereafter to create unsightly bulges and pulls in the shirt sleeves.
In addition, it is desirable in many instances for a person to have his or her name prominently displayed on a portion of their shirt or have some sort of advertising placed thereon, such as the trademark placed there by the manufacturer or marketer. Often, such names and trademarks may only be silk-screened onto the shirt and such will fade and become worn after frequent use and/or washing to slowly disappear and thereby be rendered useless as the shirt gets older with use. There are, however, particular manners of placing names and/or trademarks on certain material that will withstand significant handling and washing cycles without deterioration thereby being a longer-lasting and more desirable vehicle for display of such information. Unfortunately, most T-shirt material is not capable of this sort of display without particular and costly means being used thereon.
There appears, therefore, a clear need for a method of transforming the ordinary T-shirt into a headdress that will protect the head and most desirably, the rear or back of the neck from the harmful effects of extended exposure to the sun, and at the same time, having means on or in connection with the shirt for placing one's name or trademark prominently thereon without suffering the consequences of deterioration through extended washings and use. Even further is the need for a shirt convertible to a headdress without the potential for causing the shirt to be rendered baggy and unkempt due to the intertying of long sleeves.